ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ɢɪʀʟ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 5

Crimson

I make my way to the Great Hall for dinner with Reese as we bicker about how I should be taking way more notes during classes instead of planning pranks with Amira.

"What are you gonna do once exam time comes and you don't have any notes to study with?" Reese frowns at me.

"You'll let me use yours, of course," I answer simply and he huffs.

"Just promise me that you'll at least try to pay attention during class," he pleads.

"I will, I will, no need to worry," I say as I pat his arm. I drop down onto the seat next to Amira, and Reese sits down by James.

"How was Muggle Studies?" Amira asks, her mouth full of potatoes.

"It was fascinating," Reese answers, his eyes bright. I roll my eyes.

"I still can't believe Mum made me take it," I shake my head as I take a bite of soup. "Just because she took every class known to mankind doesn't mean that I have to do it too." Reese shoots me an angry look and James laughs.

"You two are making Aunt Hermione proud," he smirks and I flick a grain of rice at his forehead.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Amira starts, lowering her voice, "apparently Professor McGonagall is announcing a surprise event tonight."

"What kind of surprise?" I ask eagerly, but she shakes her head.

"No idea." But at that moment, McGonagall rises from her seat at the Head Table and clears her throat. Almost immediately, people fall silent, and I realize that Amira wasn't the only one who knew about the surprise.

"Attention students! I'm pleased to say that the many rumors about a surprise event are true." Excited whispers echo throughout the hall, and I nudge Amira in the side. "This December, the day before students are welcome to return home for the holidays, Hogwarts will be hosting a ball." McGonagall's voice is now completely drowned out by gleeful chatter and I turn to Amira with a grin.

"No way," she beams, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"This is going to be brilliant," I whisper to her, excited.

"I would like to add," McGonagall cuts sternly through the voices, "that it is only open to Fourth Years and above." Angry groans circulate from each of the long from tables, Lauren's voice among them.

"This is rubbish!" she yells angrily to me as McGonagall sits back down and people return to their dinners.

"Sorry, lil sis," I say sympathetically. "Maybe next year they'll do it again."

"They'd better," she says darkly. She turns back to her friends, and I do the same.

"We gotta start making plans!" Amira says to me.

"What d'you say, Reese, James? Should we go as a group?" I ask them and they shrug.

"Might as well," Reese says.

"Alright," James says nonchalantly as he takes a large bite of chicken.

"Gross, James," I wrinkle my nose at him.

"Wha?" he says with his mouth full. I just shake my head and turn back to my food.

***

Amira and I are laying across my bed, our Astronomy homework sprawled out in front of us, when the door bursts open and the wind gets knocked out of both of us.

"Can you believe it?" Annie yells in my ear and she jumps off my back.

"An actual ball," Estella grins and she hops off of Amira and sits with Annie on her bed.